Unity Pilgrim: The Life of Fr Gerry Reynolds CSsR, was launched on 27 May in Mount St Alphonsus, Limerick.
It included a Mass in Reynolds’ memory, with Provincial Dan Baragry presiding. During the Mass, Reynolds’ long ministry was recalled, including his time as rector at Mount St Alphonsus as well as his peace ministry in Belfast.
Mount St Alphonsus rector Seamus Enright, who served as rector in Clonard in the 1980s, described how Unity Pilgrim brought Reynolds back to life. He said that the book also witnessed to the work of his many co-labourers for peace, like Sr Mary Grant and Frances Hartley.
(Image, left to right: Seamus Enright, Gladys Ganiel, Dan Baragry. Image below, Ed Petersen)
The speaker at the launch was Ed Petersen, who worked with Reynolds for 12 years on the Clonard Reconciliation Project.
Petersen recalled Reynolds’ disciplined practice of prayer and his appreciation for his Limerick roots, reflecting on how the faith and support of his family had sustained him throughout his life.
Reynolds had two uncles and a brother who were Redemptorists, and a Mercy Sister aunt. His father Batt was a prefect in the Mount St Alphonsus Confraternity until his death in a road accident when Reynolds was just six. His mother Mary had a strong, quiet faith that sustained her and her four children. Unity Pilgrim includes details of Reynolds’ early life, based on the memories of Reynolds and his sister Noreen Castle, particularly the influence of their mother in conveying to them the beauty of faith.
Petersen also noted how Reynolds’ drew on the inspiration of the monastic tradition of St Nessan of Mungret. St Nessan’s monastic ruins are located near the Reynolds’ family home.
Petersen described how he strove to absorb Reynolds’ spirituality during walks in the garden in Clonard and in their everyday interactions. He recalled that Reynolds often said he was a Christian with his ‘L Plates’ (Learner driving plates) on, indicating that he knew he always had room to grow.
My own remarks were similar to those at the launch in Belfast, which you can read here.